Farmers across the state are dealing with the pandemic’s impact on their finances.
As he has throughout his tenure, President Donald Trump is responding with a series of direct payments to farmers.
Commodity prices for corn, soybeans and a number of other crops dipped as exports dried up.
Farmers of hogs, chicken and other animals endured processing facility shutdowns in April and May.
The Indiana Farm Bureau’s Director of National Government Relations, Bob White, believes the current system of propping farmers up with direct payments isn’t a long-term fix.
“Ad hoc payments are specifically for specific disasters," White said. "It’s not sustainable to keep all of agriculture going at the same time.”
Many farmers wish these issues would be solved with market solutions, but are willing to accept payments that help boost their balance sheets.
Like previous ag assistance programs, this bailout will disproportionately send aid to large operations.
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